Mearns, J., & Mauch, T. G. (1998). Negative mood regulation expectancies predict anger
among police officers and buffer the effects of job stress. Journal of Nervous and Mental
Disease, 186, 120-125.
Subjects in this study were police officers at two small urban departments. They completed measures of negative mood regulation (NMR) expectancies, job stress, coping, anger, and physical and psychological distress. High NMR expectancies were associated with more use of adaptive, active coping strategies; less anger; and lower levels of distress. Police officers scoring high on the NMR Scale experienced below average levels of distress, even when exposed to high levels of stress on the job. In contrast, those with weak NMR expectancies experienced increasing levels of distress as their job stress increased. Strong NMR expectancies appear to buffer the effects of even high levels of job stress among police officers.